Cell
Cell is a fictional character and major supervillain in the anime and manga Dragon Ball Z, based on Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama and Dragon Ball GT by Toei Doga. He is the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, designed to have all the abilities of the greatest fighters to have ever inhabited or visited Earth. The result was a "perfect warrior", possessing numerous genetic traits and special abilities. It should be worth noting that he is the only Red Ribbon Android to not have the Red Ribbon insignia on him at one point or another. Like each of the primary antagonists in Dragon Ball Z (with the exception of Vegeta), Cell was originally intended to be the final villain of the Dragon Ball manga. Personality Cell's personality changes drastically throughout the saga. He is unique among most villains of the series, being that he is quite sophisticated. As his evolution proceeds, he can be observed as having a more patient and calculative approach towards his goals. Because of his genetic composition from other warriors, he is able to psychologically manipulate those warriors and exploit their weaknesses to his advantage. At first, Cell's desire to complete his evolution and reach perfection is what fueled him. After he reached perfection, the curiosity at the limits of his own "Perfect" power was the major trait of his character. It was his curiosity at the limits of his own power when compared to Gohan's that eventually lead to his defeat. With each change of form Cell went through, his personality changed as well. Initially, Cell is single-minded, cautious, and sneaky. Upon reaching his first transformation, he becomes brash, impatient, and loses much (though not all) of his strategic tenancies. Upon reaching perfection, Cell displays a number of traits shared by those whose Cells he possesses; Frieza's polite demeanor, Vegeta's self-confidence, Goku's laid-back disposition, and the Saiyan desire for battling strong opponents. Cell is also unique among Dragon Ball villains in that he has absolutely no desire for conquest or immortality. Believing he is perfect, he merely desires entertainment, to enjoy his perfection, and after realizing his "true purpose", annihilation of everyone and everything. In the English manga, Cell is always referred to as an "it" (Piccolo once says: "we may have to defeat Cell itself"), while in the anime (and the Japanese versions of both) he is referred to as "he." He is likely described that way in the English manga to emphasize the fact that he is an artificial being. In the English dub of the anime, Cell's voice changes from a buzzy monotone in Imperfect Form to gruff brutish in Semi-Perfect Form. This then changes to a more arrogant calmer voice in Perfect Form. Character History * Cell Games * Cell Games Saga Cell's Forms * Imperfect Cell * Semi-Perfect Cell * Perfect Cell * Super Perfect Cell Genetic Composition and Unique Abilities Cell is composed of cells from Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Frieza, King Cold, Raditz and Nappa. His genetic composition is very much a part of his character. In his Imperfect Form, he is clever and calculating, (much like Piccolo) and single-minded about achieving his Perfect Form. In his Semi-Perfect Form, he is a little more arrogant, (like Vegeta), but still single-minded about achieving his Perfect Form. In his Perfect, Super Perfect, and Cellku forms, he is extremely arrogant (Saiyan), he becomes very smug and he believes that every other living creature is inferior to him, and is shown to be very polite unless he loses his temper (all from Frieza). Upon meeting Piccolo for the first time in Ginger Town, Cell tells Piccolo that the computer programmed some genetic traits to be more dominant then others. Cell was designed to have the ability to absorb any biological mass by stabbing his victims with his tail. This process, called "bio-extraction," drains all the organic mass out of the target from the inside out. This attack increases Cell's power, the exact amount depending on the victim's power level. Cell was designed to absorb Dr. Gero's other androids (Android 17 and Android 18) whole, integrating them into his systems. Each time he absorbs an android, he evolves into a more powerful being, however he cannot absorb a complete Android such as Android 16. Upon assimilating both Android 17 and Android 18, he gains the ability to asexually reproduce, creating blue, child versions of himself, dubbed "Cell Jr.". Also, his ability to bio-extract seems to be gone, possibly due to the process becoming useless after reaching perfection. *'Note:' Super Perfect Cell is shown using his tail in Dragon Ball GT and uses it to absorb Goku whole, briefly transforming into the Cellku form, leading to the possibility he regained its use after the removal of Android 18, and retained it after his self-destruction & rebirth into Super Perfect Cell. Forms Larvae In Cell's first form, he burrows underground for 3 years. When he is finally mature enough, he grows rapidly and sheds his skin, forming into the Imperfect Cell. It is unknown whether this form is capable of combat or not. Imperfect Cell's Imperfect form acts as his base form for fighting without absorbing any of the Androids. In this form, Cell spends most of his time stabbing the tip of his tail into people and draining their insides out followed by their skin and bones. This is also the only form to have an aura with the appearance of wailing souls, possibly the ones he's absorbed, and seems to talk more than fight. Because this is his base form, Piccolo was able to gain the upper hand in their battle after fusing with Kami, up until Cell broke his neck and blasted through his stomach. Semi-Perfect Once Cell reaches his Semi-Perfect form by absorbing Android 17, his wings disappear, and he becomes much more humanoid, also becoming bulkier. Upon achieving this form, he no longer cares about absorbing other creatures, and becomes obsessed with finding Android 18. Aside from his obsession, he also becomes slightly more arrogant because of his power increase, as well as rash and impatient. According to his bios in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 & 3, in his new form, he seems to feel that he is the most beautiful living specimen on the planet and suggests that this arrogant-narcissistic attitude may been influenced by Vegeta's genes (meaning Vegeta's cells may become more prominent while in this form, which maybe true given the fact he uses at two of Vegeta's signature moves in this form: Galick Gun & Big Bang Crash). His arrogance was short-lived though, as he was easily outclassed by Vegeta's Ascended Super Saiyan form. After finding his Semi-Perfect form no match for his opponent, Cell convinced Vegeta to allow him to absorb Android 18 to reach his Perfect Form (which he was able to do as he appeals to Vegeta's ego & the natural Saiyan drive to fight stronger opponents, both of which Cell is aware of as he possesses Vegeta's Cells). Toriyama also stated in an interview that he intended Semi-Perfect Cell to last longer before transforming to Perfect, but was told by his editor to get rid of him because "He looked funny". Perfect After absorbing Androids 17 and 18 and achieving his Perfect Form, Cell is able to easily defeat both Vegeta and Future Trunks, the latter using the Ultra Super Saiyan form. He becomes much more humanoid in this form, acquiring a distinctly humanoid face. Since he no longer has a need to absorb other creatures, his tail is retracted and now used for creation of Cell Jr's. His wings also reappear. Cell becomes significantly more arrogant in this form due to his increase in speed and power, and now only wishes to test his own power. Along with his previous two forms, Cell can brandish an aura the same color as a Super Saiyan. He also has a full power form similar to that of an Ultra Super Saiyan, which increases his muscle mass, but results in a huge speed decrease. He displays this form once after beating Ultra Super Saiyan Trunks, and then again after losing his temper with Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. Though his raw strength in this state may have been comparable to Gohan's, his speed decrease impaired his ability to deal and receive damage, causing him to regurgitate Android 18 and revert to his Semi-Perfect form when Gohan landed a powerful kick to his stomach. Super-Perfect After being forced back into his Semi-Perfect form, Cell becomes desperate and initiates Self Destruction in order to kill himself and take Gohan and the rest of Earth with him. With only seconds to act, Goku uses Instant Transmission to transport himself and Cell to King Kai's Planet, where a surprised Cell explodes, destroying the planet as well as Goku, King Kai, Bubbles, and Gregory. Even after self destructing, Cell's core survives the explosion. Using the regenerative abilities he inherited from Piccolo, Cell is able to completely recover. His cells also retain a memory of his Perfect form, allowing him to regenerate into that form again despite the loss of Android 18. Due to his Saiyan trait of extreme power increase after healing from injury, he becomes much stronger than he previously was in his Perfect form, and his power increases to the point that he is seen with lightning sparks in his aura, much like Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 state. Using Instant Transmission (acquired from Goku) Cell returns to Earth and kills Future Trunks with a single blast. Enraged, Vegeta rushes at him in his Ascended Super Saiyan form but is slapped aside. Cell proceeds to incapacitate Gohan's arm with one ki blast almost effortlessly. After returning to his Super Saiyan 2 state, Gohan desperately engages Cell in a Kamehameha wave struggle. Cell gains the upper hand several times, nearly overwhelming the exhausted Gohan. To distinguish this power upgrade from his previous state, this form is often referred to as "Super Perfect" (though Cell himself calls it "Ultimate Perfection" in the FUNimation dub). Cellku The form of Cell after he absorbed Goku in Dragon Ball GT. He looks very similar to his Perfect and Super Perfect forms except he is more muscled, obviously far stronger, and is surrounded by blue lightning. Despite only being in this form for about 10 seconds, Cell or Cellku at this point states that he is the strongest being in the universe (and given Goku's power level at this point, this is no boast). Special Abilities His absorption abilities aside, Cell does not possess any unique techniques of his own. Instead he has the abilities of those whose cells make up his body from the time when the samples were taken from them. Goku, Piccolo, Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta had their cells taken during Vegeta's invasion of Earth, while Frieza and King Cold had theirs taken when they invaded during the Trunks Saga later. Among the Abilities Cell demonstrated are: *'Absorption' - .]]Cell's tail serves one special purpose: to absorb other beings into his body. Cell will gain all of the strength of the person he has absorbed. Cell has two methods of absorption. The first method is to stab the person with the sharp end of his tail. The tail will then suck up all of the organic matter of the victim, leaving the clothing behind. Cell has a second method of absorption, made for people who he wants every bit of strength from. Instead of stabbing the person and draining the person's life force, Cell will instead absorb the person whole. Cell will open up the pointy end of his stinger, and it will become a giant sucker. Cell will bring the sucker down on the person, and the sucker will suck them through Cell's tail into his body. The person will be held unconscious in Cell's body. This method was made for Android 17 and 18, who, due to not being organic, had to be absorbed whole. This is Cell's preferred method, as it gives him full power. Even though Cell's tail retracted after becoming Perfect Cell, it is shown that Cell can still bring his stinger out and absorb other people using this technique. The tail can also be used for strangulation, a move likely copied from Frieza. * Perfect Barrier - An impenetrable shield Cell places around himself to protect him from attacks. It was most likely taken from Android 17 after Cell absorbed him, though his special barrier could be a technique programmed directly by Dr. Gero. * Levitate - The ability to fly, taken from any of the cell samples. * Telekinesis - Cell can lift objects of large proportionate sizes into the air with his mind and controlling the use of his hand(s). Likely taken from Frieza. * Death Beam (Frieza Beam) - A laser-like projectile which travels very quickly. Also known as Death Beam/Finger Beam. Taken from Frieza. * Spirit Bomb - Cell never uses this technique, though he states that he can use it if he wished. This is likely a bluff, as one must be pure of heart to perform the attack (Cell is pure evil, however, that is a "purity of heart" in and of itself). This is Cell's ultimate attack in the Budokai video game series ("Alright, planet! Give me that stupid energy!"). * Kamehameha - A powerful ki wave attack and trademark technique of the Dragon Ball series. Taken from Goku. * Big Bang Crash - A blazing red-colored variation of Vegeta's Big Bang Attack. Semi-Perfect Cell uses this technique when he destroyed whole islands with it to flush out Android 18. Taken from Vegeta, enhanced by Semi-Perfect Cell. It was named in Budokai Tenkaichi 3. * Solar Kamehameha - Cell's Ultimate-Final attack, Cell stores enough energy to destroy the Earth along with the entire Solar System and fires it in the form of a large Kamehameha. Created & used by Super Perfect Cell as a final bid to destroy SSJ2 Gohan, but was countered by the Father-Son Kamehameha. Its name comes from Budokai Tenkaichi 3, where it is Super Perfect Cell's Ultimate Blast technique ("The Earth will be destroyed. SAYONARA!"). * Tri-beam (Kikôhô) - Blast of rectangle shaped energy. Taken from Tien (Anime only). * Special Beam Cannon - A powerful thin beam of energy. Taken from Piccolo (Anime only). * Regeneration - The Namekian ability to regenerate damage to the body. Taken from Piccolo. * Instant Transmission - The ability to instantly teleport virtually anywhere (by homing in on a Ki signature). Taken from Goku after Cell's self destruction. * Solar Flare: An extremely bright light which can temporarily blind opponents in near proximity. Taken from Tien. *'Homing Destructo Disk' - A variant of the Destructo Disk, this energy disk can be controlled by the creator to change direction. Taken from Frieza (Anime only) (note: Kuririn thought it was taken from him but he can't remotely control his like Cell or Frieza can). * '''After Image Technique - The ability to move extremely fast over short distances, leaving an image behind. Taken from of Goku. *From his Saiyan samples, Cell has the ability to become more powerful after recovering from severe injuries. He also takes on many personality traits that are true to Saiyans, like the desire to fight and test his power. Even though Cell is not categorized as a Super Saiyan, his aura perfectly mimics that of a Super Saiyan; this is connected to his Saiyan heritage. *Cell has Frieza's capability of surviving in outer space, and to revert his form (demonstrated when he reverted to an egg and potentially by his evolving body). He also gained Frieza's telekinesis, and his ability to survive any injury. After Cell achieves his Super Perfect Form due to his brush with death when he self destructed, he explains that this is because each individual cell in his body has a life-force of their own. This could in part explain how Frieza can do this. *Though he has Piccolo's regenerative ability, Cell is never shown to use Piccolo's demonstrated body distorting abilities, such as extending his limbs to great lengths or growing his entire body to massive proportions. He also never shows any of the more mystical abilities of Piccolo, such as creating objects out of thin air. It is likely that Cell's asexual reproductive capability in spawning the Cell Jr.'s is taken from Piccolo's Namekian physiology. Non-manga Anime Filler Though Cell was gone, he still caused trouble in the Other World after being sent to Hell by King Yemma and striking up a partnership with Frieza, King Cold and the deceased Ginyu Force soldiers Guldo, Recoome, Burter, and Jeice. Here, he was defeated along with his friends by Goku and Pikkon, and ultimately sentenced to the Other World Prison. He and the others are later shown watching Goku's battle with Kid Buu on a huge crystal ball in Hell. Dragon Ball GT In Dragon Ball GT, Cell makes another brief appearance in Hell. He and Frieza team up to try and kill Goku, but Goku is far too strong for them, eventually defeating them and escaping. He was last seen frozen by the coldest ice from Hell, broken in pieces by Goku and arrested by the Oni. An interesting note is during the time Cell for a short time became the most powerful being in the universe by absorbing Goku, although Goku moments later manages to escape, much like how 18 pushed out of his body. Voice Actors * Japanese: Norio Wakamoto * Ocean Dub: Dale Wilson * FUNimation Dub: Dameon Clarke Video Games Cell has made an impact in many Dragon Ball Z video games, mostly as a boss or high-end playable character. Though sometimes featured in only his Perfect Form, the more recent games in the Budokai series see Cell in his Imperfect, Semi-Perfect, Perfect and Super Perfect (after absorbing Goku's cells) states as well. In addition, in the original game his bulky form from when he battled Gohan was accessible as a boss fight only. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Cell also has a nightmare during his wait for the Cell Games to start. In this nightmare, Cell succeeds in absorbing Android 17, but accidentally absorbs Krillin who pushes Android 18 out of the way in time, resulting in what would look like a fusion between a Cell Jr. and Krillin: Cellin, now with a diminutive body with Krillin's characteristics and orange colors. With his power level taking a drastic drop, Cell is barely able to defeat Yamcha before being destroyed by Tien's Tri-beam. Then Cell wakes up in a start, seeing that he is still standing in his Cell Games Ring during the middle of the night. Relieved, Cell mutters "I guess ten days is just too long to wait for the tournament," referring to the Cell Games. In the game's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, Cell and Frieza can be put under Babidi's influence á la Vegeta or Dabura, becoming Majins. Later Cell can also be absorbed by Super Buu. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Cell makes an appearance along side Frieza in the Fusion Reborn movie saga, even though he was absent in the movie itself. Cell has appeared as a playable character in: * Super Butôden 2 (Super Famicom) * Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension (Super Famicom) * Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden (Sega Mega Drive) * Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors (GBC) * Dragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game (GBA) * Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors (GBA) * Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (GBA) * Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors 2 (DS) * Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai (PSP) * Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road (PSP) * Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 (PS1) * Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout (PS1) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (PS2 & GCN) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 (PS2 & GCN) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (PS2) * Battle Stadium D.O.N (PS2 & GCN) * Super Dragon Ball Z (PS2 & arcade) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2 & WII) * Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PS2 & WII) Cell appears as an enemy in: * Dragon Ball Z: Sagas (PS2, GCN, and Xbox) * Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (GBA) Category:Characters who can fly Category:Artificial humans Category:Cell Category:Villains